2008 Mazda 5 Grand Touring

A space case, maybe, but efficient.

As a three-row, six-passenger mini-minivan, the Mazda 5 sits all by itself in a segment of one. It sticks out like a little brother not big enough to ride the monster roller coasters at the park. The 5, in fact, is smaller than the original 1984 Dodge Caravan in every dimension except length—the Mazda is 5.6 inches longer.

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J.G. RUSSELL

This top-of-the-line 5, $25,825 as tested, is powered by a 2.3-liter, inline four-cylinder mustering 153 horses. A five-speed automatic drives the front wheels. There is a manual transmission—no other minivan can claim that—available in the entry-level Sport model, which starts at $18,665. If we were going to spring for our own 5, we’d opt for the manual, though most likely it’s only good for a few 10ths off the automatic’s 9.4-second 0-to-60-mph time. But being able to stay in the power band while motoring around in a 3505-pound wedge with 153 horsepower has profound benefits.

The upright seating position doesn’t produce the buslike driving position one expects, thanks to a tilting and telescoping steering wheel and pedals that are more on the fire wall than the floor.

J.G. RUSSELL

In our last comparison test of not-so-mini vans [November 2007], the Honda Odyssey had the best EPA fuel economy at 17 mpg in the city and 25 on the highway. The 5 is rated at 21 mpg city and 27 highway. That betters the Honda by 8 percent on the highway and a whopping 24 percent on the city cycle. In our hands, the Mazda 5 got 23 mpg.

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The 5, however, cannot compete with contemporary minivans on interior and cargo spaces. Full-size minivans have about the same cargo space behind their second rows that the 5 has behind its first row, 89 cubic feet. The third-row seats are reserved for kin but are acceptable for sub-six-foot adults—just keep the trip short.

Its main competitor is the similarly sized Kia Rondo, which doesn’t have a van’s sliding doors but offers seats for seven. For some, the space compromise in these vehicles is made up by their efficiency. With crushing gas prices, expect this segment to grow. Like Michael Corleone, little brothers sometimes grow up to run the family business.